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Sparrow, a volunteer firefighter and 2011 Pamlico High School graduate, died Sunday. He was pulled from a rip current on Atlantic Beach ten days before.

Volunteers sold plates of barbeque to raise money to help Sparrow's family with medical and funeral costs.

The fundraiser started at 10:30 Friday and volunteers sold out of barbeque by noon.

"He came out and gave his time so we give him some time back and maybe we can help his family out with it," Fire Chief Monnie Golden said.

"We want his family to know he's going down with a legacy," Samantha Suggs, a fellow volunteer firefighter, said. "He meant something to us."

Sparrow's funeral is scheduled for Saturday in Grantsboro.

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Funeral arrangements have been set for a young Pamlico County firefighter killed by a rip current.

The viewing for Larry Sparrow is scheduled to be held on Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Rivers-Morgan Funeral Home, Inc., at 701 West Street in New Bern.

Sparrow's homegoing service will to be at noon Saturday at the New Bern Eastern Missionary Baptist Association Building, Grantsboro. Burial will immediately follow at Hudnell Cemetery.

Sparrow, a member of the Grantsboro Volunteer Fire Department, was taken off life support and died at about 6 a.m. on July 21, said Grantsboro Fire Chief Monnie Golden, Jr. The young man was caught in a rip current at Atlantic Beach on July 11 and was spotted about 200 feet to the west of life-guarded beaches.

After Sparrow was pulled to shore, Atlantic Beach firefighters were able to revive him, said Atlantic Beach Fire Chief Adam Snyder. Sparrow was then taken to Carteret General Hospital, before he was transported to CarolinaEast Medical Center, where he died Sunday.

Sparrow was the youngest of four brothers, his family said.

"I miss everything about him. He was very very important to me," said Clinton Hackney, Sparrow's oldest brother.

Sparrow played basketball at Pamlico High School and graduated in 2011.

"It brightened everybody's day to see him come down the hall and to know he was in good spirits," said former classmate Kaylah Blount.

In January, Sparrow joined the Grantsboro Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter.

"He was an asset to this fire department," said Chief Golden. "He was smart. He did good."

A fundraiser for Sparrow's family is scheduled to be held on Friday. According to the Grantsboro Volunteer Fire Department, they will be selling plates of barbecue from Moore's Barbecue in New Bern. The plates cost $7 each and will be at the fire station. Call 252-402-1775 for more information. All proceeds will go to Sparrow's family.

A previous car wash fundraiser raised more than $1,000 for Sparrow's family. Friends are also raising money by selling shirts and decals.

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